Autumnal budget friendly nature play

Co written with Danie from @the_little_adventurer_

This week we're going to take a look at some budget friendly play ideas to use outdoors within nature. Getting outside has so many benefits and is referred to as ecotherapy! So buckle up and we hope you enjoy this week feature.

Autumnal math

Autumn is a fantastic time to go and collect nature treasures or nature loose parts. We love to find things like conkers acorns, leaves, helicopters, pine cones and acorns. All of these things that you can use to count. By physically touching and holding the maths in your hand enables the little ones to create number sense as they are able to see what the number looks like, how it feels, is it small it to big etc.

We also use our foraged treasures to create ABAB patterns too such as leaf, stick, leaf, stick which encourages the understanding of how patterns work as well as creating their own and continuing a pattern. By doing this through hands on learning they have a better understanding rather than a worksheet at a table. Next time you go for an autumnal walk take with a basket or a bag and collect some nature treasures. You can bring them home or you can play with them while you’re out it’s a perfect opportunity for some spontaneous counting learning through play.

Phonics sound walk Have you ever gone on a sound walk? It’s such a great adventure for little ones and it’s the first step into your phonics journey. It costs nothing to do and you don’t need a single thing apart from your ears! You can go for a walk in the woods to the park round the block or even on the school run. Just ask what is that noise? or what can you hear? This is easy is that. Autumn is a fantastic love to do this because you have the rustling of the leaves in the trees, crunching of the leaves on the ground when you walk, have a jump in a puddle what noise can you hear? Can you make that sound? Let us know if you have a phonics sound walk and what are you hear!

Nature tic tac toe

This is a really easy way to get your little one outside during autumn, go on a little walk find some twigs and make tic-tac-toe grid. Then you can challenge your little one to go and find five loose parts so that can be five conkers five acorns five pinecones five leaves five feathers anything they can find. Once they have found their five pieces and you have your five pieces of another child has their five pieces you can start playing tic-tac-toe. This is a great game for intellectual development learning the game figuring out how to win. It’s also great for maths making patterns counting your threes and making your line. We love tic-tac-toe as a social experience we get to talk to each other take turns and play a game.

Leaf printing

One thing we love to do with fallen leaves during autumn is printing! This is a perfect budget friendly activity we can do this with card, paint or crayons and some leaves. Another great excuse to get outside to collect some nature treasures giving you two activities in one. There are a few ways you can make leaf prints, here are our favourite ways; 1. Paint the leaf (skeleton side) and stamp on paper or card. 2. Place leaf on paper and use watercolours to paint around the leaf. 3. Place leaf under (skeleton side up)paper and use wax crayons to rub over the leaf gently. 4. Using fabric, a stone or hammer you can print the leaf onto fabric. 5 Place the leaves under foil then paint on the foil and see the patterns magically appear.

Autumnal nature trail The best thing about autumn is going outside for a little walk with your children experiencing all the different colour, the smell, the temperature it’s a magical time of year and there is no such thing as bad weather only and clothing. So get your waterproofs on and head out into nature - feel the Autumn sun shine on your face or the rain on your hood. We love going on nature trails and Autumn is the best time of year to do this You don’t need anything to do this other than something to collect your items maybe a checklist which you can download from places like Twinkl or you can make your own like I have done out of cardboard or even use an egg box. We always recommend to take a little picnic, water and a hot drink for mum and dad when you go on an autumn walk and perhaps a pushchair for the smaller ones because they may get a bit tired. This activity always makes you appreciate the smaller things it makes you stop and see the tiny berry on the bush or the acorns on the sycamore tree. You can add lots of questions and learning opportunities too such as 'what colour is that berry?’ 'how many different colour leaves can we find’ ‘ ohhh what tree do you think that may be with the spiky leaves?' You don’t have to go on a collecting nature trail you can go on a what can we see trail Can you see an oak tree ? Can you see a sycamore tree? Can you see a duck or a bird. Also if you live in a city you can make it work for you, can you find a red car, can you count the lines on the stop sign, what shape can we find -the possibilities are endless as everyone loves a can you find game! Have lots of fun stay safe and we can’t wait to see what you get up to!

Using Autumn treasures in play

We often take our teapots and teacups to the woods to enjoy a tea party in the woods adding mud and natural treasures to make cakes - whatever they choose! We also use our collected treasures to make faces which is a good way to talk about emotions and how they may be feeling. We also make habitats for our animals whsilt talking about hibernation. The small world ideas are endless!